Data recording system

Abstract

A system for recording data is disclosed, which relate to lots to be collected, particularly to milk lots to be delivered to a central collecting station. A recorder installed on the collecting vehicle comprises the normally existing data memory and closely adjacent thereto a second memory, which has preferably the same structure and serves to store those data which are required in an analytical laboratory for an analysis of samples taken from the lots as they were collected. These data are recorded in the second memory under the control of a selector. By means of the second memory, a separate data carrier is provided, which is delivered to the analytical laboratory, in which data representing the result of the various analyses are recorded on said data carrier so as to supplement the data originally recorded thereon. In this way the data can be fully automatically collected and processed, uniform technology can be used in the system required for this purpose and, as a result, the equipment used on the collecting vehicle and in the analytical laboratory can be simplified and the overall functional reliability can be improved.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for recording data commensurate with a plurality of serially collected samples of material comprising: means providing a plurality of input signals commensurate with sensed parameters of each sample of material;   means providing input signals commensurate with the identity of each sample of material;   data recording means, said recording means including: a first storage device, said storage device comprising a removable data storage medium and means for recording data on said medium; and   a second data storage device, said second storage device including a removable data storage medium and means for recording data on said medium; and control means interconnecting said input signal providing means and said recording means, said control means selectively delivering data bearing signals to said first and second storage devices for recording on said mediums whereby information commensurate with sensed material parameters and the identity of the sample corresponding to those sensed parameters will be selectively stored on the first or second or both said first and second storage mediums.       
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus is mounted on a vehicle and the collected material is an agricultural product, the serially collected samples of the material being comingled in the vehicle. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control means comprises: register means for temporarily storing information corresponding to the input signals commensurate with sensed parameters and sample identity;   means for serially and selectively delivering signals commensurate with the stored information to said recording means storage devices; and   means for providing control signals to said delivering means, said control signals determining the routing of said information signals to said storage devices.   
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said control means comprises: register means for temporarily storing information corresponding to the input signals commensurate with sensed parameters and sample identity;   means for serially and selectively delivering signals commensurate with the stored information to said recording means storage devices; and   means for providing control signals to said delivering means, said control signals determining the routing of said information signals to said storage devices.   
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: means responsive to a condition of the collection of the material for generating an input control signal for said control means, said control means being responsive to said input control signal for determining the medium on which the data commensurate with the individual input signals is stored.   
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said control signal providing means comprises: means responsive to a condition of the collection of the material for generating an input control signal for said control means, said delivering means being responsive to said input control signal for determining the medium on which the data commensurate with the individual input signals is stored.   
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claims 3, 4 and 6 further comprising: analog to digital converter means connected between said means providing input signals commensurate with sensed parameters and said register means.   
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claims 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 wherein said first and second storage devices are mounted in a common housing. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said first and second storage devices are mounted in a common housing. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claims 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 wherein said storage medium of said first and second storage devices each comprises a magnetic tape. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the agricultural product comprises milk and wherein a device for collecting a specimen of each serially collected sample is mounted on the vehicle and said condition responsive input control signal generating means is responsive to the state of said specimen collecting means. 
     
     
       12. In a method for the collection and processing of data commensurate with serially collected lots of an agricultural product, the lots being comingled, the inprovement comprising the steps of: sensing a plurality of parameters commensurate with each serially collected lot;   selectively recording the sensed parameters and the identity of the corresponding lot on first and second portable recording media, at least some of the information being recorded on the first recording medium and at least some of the information being stored on both recording media, regions devoid of stored information being provided on the second recording medium;   sampling, storing and identifying small quantity specimens corresponding to each of the collected lots;   analyzing the specimens and recoridng data commensurate with the results of the analysis in the regions previously devoid of information storage on the said second medium; and   employing the information recorded on the first storage medium for financial record keeping purposes.   
     
     
       13. The method of claim 12 wherein the data recorded on the first and second recording media includes lot identity and the data recorded on only the first recording media includes lot quantity.